Brotherly love
To regard every man as a brother — to be tolerant of his opinions, patient with his failings, and honest with him even when it costs something. Masonry asks you to practise this first inside the lodge, then everywhere else.
About the Craft
What is Freemasonry?
A fair question, and one that deserves a straight answer rather than a mystery. Here is what the fraternity actually is, what it asks of a man, and what it does not do.
In plain terms
A fraternity that teaches morality through symbol and ceremony.
Freemasonry is the world's oldest and largest fraternal organisation. Its members are men who have chosen to work, deliberately and in good company, at becoming better than they were.
The teaching method is unusual and it is the reason Masonry has lasted. Rather than lecture, the fraternity uses the tools and language of the medieval stonemason as moral metaphors. The square teaches you to deal squarely and honestly with others. The level reminds you that all men stand equal before their Creator. The plumb asks you to walk uprightly. A rough stone, shaped patiently into a finished block, stands for the man himself.
Those lessons are conveyed in ceremonies that have been performed for centuries, in a room set apart for the purpose, among friends who have taken the same obligations. It is a slow and old-fashioned method. It also works.
The three tenets
Brotherly love, relief, and truth.
Every part of Masonry rests on these three. They are not slogans; they are obligations.
Relief
Charity, given quietly. Masons in Texas fund scholarships, support children's hospitals and veterans, and look after brethren, widows and orphans. Most of it is done without any announcement.
Truth
The pursuit of it, and the telling of it. A Mason's word is meant to be sufficient. The fraternity's whole moral system collapses without this one, which is why so much weight is placed on it.
Where it came from
From working stone to working on ourselves.
The operative masons of the Middle Ages built the cathedrals of Europe. They organised themselves into lodges, guarded the secrets of their trade, and admitted apprentices who learned the craft over years of supervised work.
Over time those lodges began accepting members who never cut a stone — accepted masons, drawn by the fellowship and the moral lessons the trade's tools suggested. In 1717 four such lodges in London joined to form the first Grand Lodge, and organised, speculative Freemasonry as we know it began.
It reached Texas early and took root deeply. The Grand Lodge of Texas, A.F. & A.M. was formed in 1837, the year after independence, and today charters lodges in nearly every community in the state — Sunshine Lodge No. 341 among them.
A note on the myths
You will find a great deal written about Freemasonry that is inventive and untrue. The fraternity does not run governments, does not control banks and does not conspire.
What it actually does is meet once or twice a month, confer degrees, raise money for children's charities, bury its dead with dignity, and put on a great many meals. The reality is far more ordinary — and, we would argue, far more worthwhile.
The journey
Three degrees of Masonry.
Symbolic, or "Blue Lodge", Masonry consists of three degrees. Each is a ceremony in which the candidate takes part, followed by instruction he learns and returns to demonstrate before advancing.
First degree
Entered Apprentice
The beginning. The candidate is initiated, introduced to the lodge and its first lessons, and taught the value of charity and of confronting the world without pretence.
Second degree
Fellowcraft
The middle chamber. This degree turns toward education, the liberal arts and sciences, and the duty of a man to develop the mind he has been given.
Third degree
Master Mason
The summit of Blue Lodge Masonry, and the degree that gives us the phrase "the third degree". It deals with fidelity, mortality, and integrity held to under pressure. A Master Mason enjoys full membership and voice in his lodge.
Beyond the Blue Lodge lie the Scottish Rite, the York Rite and the Shrine — all of which build upon the Master Mason degree. None is "higher" than it.
Inside the lodge
What actually happens at a meeting?
Rather less mystery than you might expect. A stated meeting is the lodge's regular business meeting: minutes are read, bills are paid, charitable requests are considered, petitions are received and balloted, and the sick and bereaved are looked after.
Other meetings are given to conferring degrees, to practice, or to Masonic education — a talk on history, symbolism or philosophy. Nearly every meeting begins with a meal, and that is where most of the real fellowship happens.
Lodge is opened and closed with ceremony, and the room is closed to non-Masons while it is at work. The meal, however, is not — and visitors are genuinely welcome at ours.
- A shared meal before the meeting, open to guests and family.
- Lodge business — minutes, finances, charity, correspondence.
- Degree work — conferring the ceremonies on candidates.
- Masonic education — short talks on history and symbolism.
- Service planning — blood drives, scholarships, community projects.
- Good fellowship, which is the part no agenda records.
Straight answers
Questions people actually ask.
Including the ones that feel impolite to ask out loud. Ask them anyway — we would rather you did.
Is Freemasonry a religion?
No. Freemasonry has no theology, no sacraments and no plan of salvation, and it never claims to substitute for a man's faith. It does require every member to profess a belief in a Supreme Being — but it never defines that belief for him. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and men of other faiths sit together in lodge. Sectarian religion is barred as a subject of discussion in the lodge room precisely so that men of different faiths can meet in harmony.
Is it a secret society?
No. Our buildings are marked, our members are known, our charities are public and our constitutions are published. What is kept private are the ceremonies themselves and the traditional modes by which Masons recognise one another — much as a family keeps its own traditions to itself. A secret society would not put its address on a website.
Is Freemasonry political?
No. Partisan politics, like sectarian religion, is forbidden as a subject of discussion in lodge. Masons hold every political view you can imagine, and the lodge is one of the few rooms left where that genuinely does not matter.
Do I have to be wealthy or well connected?
No. Masonry meets "on the level": inside the lodge, rank, wealth and worldly title are set aside. Our members are tradesmen, teachers, drivers, engineers, veterans and retirees. What is asked of a candidate is good character, not a good résumé.
Is this a business networking group?
No — and using the fraternity for personal gain is regarded as a serious abuse of it. Every candidate is asked to confirm that he comes uninfluenced by mercenary motives. Real friendships naturally form, and brethren do help one another, but a man who petitions for business advantage has misunderstood what he is petitioning for.
Can women join?
Lodges under the Grand Lodge of Texas, A.F. & A.M. are for men. There are closely associated organisations open to women and to whole families — including the Order of the Eastern Star — and in practice a lodge is very much a family community, with wives, children and grandchildren at most of our social events. We are glad to point you toward them.
Will joining take over my life?
Only if you want it to. The baseline commitment is a stated meeting each month. Learning the work for each degree takes real study, and men who take on office give more time — but the fraternity has always understood that a Mason's duty to his family and his livelihood comes first. That is stated explicitly in the ritual.
What does it cost?
There is a one-time fee for the three degrees and modest annual dues thereafter, set by the lodge. Both are deliberately kept within reach of any working man — Masonry has never been intended as an organisation for the wealthy. We will tell you the exact figures plainly if you ask.
Still have a question?
Ask it. We would far rather answer twenty questions from a man who is thinking it over carefully than receive a petition from one who is not.